


His One and Only

by lampostOdyssey



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-01
Updated: 2011-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-26 18:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/286335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lampostOdyssey/pseuds/lampostOdyssey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade Harley was the not the same after Sburb ended. They had all been affected by its cruelty, and their minds ravaged with memories better forgotten. But Jade couldn't forget. So she tries to leave it all behind.</p><p>Dave Strider will not let this happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was only rated for swears, which are inevitable with Dave.  
> First fan fiction to this website... I've done them at others as well, but this place is best for Homestuck ;P  
> Hope you enjoy!

The kids were not the same after Sburb ended. Yes, they had beaten the game. But at what cost? Their guardians were dead. The trolls, back in their godforsaken universe where they would never be able to meet again. They never said so, but John, Rose, Dave, and Jade all felt as if the world they once knew, and were now forced to return to, was strange.

 

 They didn’t belong in regular society, after everything they’d been through, and seen. The power they’d had. Having to become regular humans again, was harder than they’d ever believed. It was if they were in their own little world, cut off from reality. Like they’d never finished Sburb after all.

 

The four of them stayed tightly knit together, fitting like a puzzle, incomplete without the presence of at least one other. They didn’t go back to school. They supported each other in every way they could. Rose, against their wishes, forced her money down their throats, and physco-analysed their reactions. She inquired on their well-beings daily, and always implied that she was right, without speaking a single word. She kept them financially sound. John was the one who kept their interactions intact. He organised meet ups, talked to everyone daily. Dave… Dave needed them more then he’d ever let on, and they knew that. They kept him in line. Out of trouble. Away from addiction that posed threats to his well-being. There were his reason to stay on track. Basically, the three of them acted like they’d were expected to act.

 

Jade acted completely different.

 

Jade had always been known to her friends as a happy, enthusiastic, caring girl. After Sburb, she seemed… distant. Almost immediately, Rose bought her an apartment and gave her no choice about joining them in the big city. Jade went along with it. During their regular get togethers at the local cafe, John, Rose and Dave chatted happily; it was the only time they felt they belonged, when they were together. Jade would simply sit, sipping her coffee as she listened graciously. They tried to involve her, talk to her. Her reply would be nods, with a gentle smile, or a quick, one word answer. Dave raised his eyebrow at this.

 

Once when Jade wasn’t with them, he addressed this issue. Rose and John glanced at each other then back at Dave. He frowned.

 

“What?” He asked. John bit his lip.

 

“Dave, it’s really only around you that she acts different. When she’s alone with us she’s basically fine!” John told him warily.

 

“Bullshit.” He said. “You can’t tell me she hasn’t changed.”

 

“She has! But… for you she’s  _really_ different.” John admitted. Rose intervened then.

 

“You and Jade haven’t been alone together since the incident in Sburb.” She said. “All of us have met separately, but not you two. She’s avoiding you.”

 

“Why the fuck would she do that. No one can resist Dave Strider.” Rose gave him a look at this and Dave sighed. “Fine I’ll talk to her.  

 

“She’s overwhelmed.” Rose told Dave. “I’m certain she’ll appreciate your words more than those I’ve attempted to press on her.”

 

Dave shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.” 

 

So one day after as they pulled on their coats to leave the cafe, after another hour of silence from Jade, Dave grabbed her shoulder, pulling her towards him.

 

“Hey, wait up.” He said calmly. John and Rose left together, after a wave and quick goodbyes. Jade avoided eye contact, keeping her head down. Dave towered above the girl, so looking down on her, Jade’s hair hung across her forehead, blocking the girl’s face completely out of Dave’s view. He frowned.

 

“Look, Jade… I know we haven’t spoken in a while, like, alone…” Jade kept her hands folded in front of her, twiddling her thumbs. Dave rubbed the back of his neck. “Can we, catch up sometime?” Still no reply. “How about tomorrow? Are you doing anything-“

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Dave. Maybe another time.” She said this and began to walk away, heading for the door. Dave followed and blocked her way.

 

“Hey, don’t do that. Enough with the bullshit.” Jade tried to step past him once more. “What is up with you? You can’t tell me this is all because you fucking moved to New York. Jade stop. Can you at least look at me-?”

 

As Jade tried to step past him one more time, Dave grabbed her arm and she turned her towards him. Finally, she looked at him, and in that moment that they held each other’s gazes, Dave saw only fear in her eyes.

 

He was lost for words. He released her arm, and didn’t say a thing as Jade left the store at a brisk pace. He watched her through the window as she almost ran around the corner, and disappeared with a pained expression.  _Good job. You’ve made the girl you love terrified of you._ Dave sighed at Bro’s voice in his head. The only question he had was _what had he done?_

 

 _== >_

 

“Really? She actually  _ran away_  from you?” John said as they walked down the road. He seemed unsure. “Are you sure you’re not over reacting?”

 

“Not a chance.” He replied, sticking his hands in his pockets with mounds of regret clouding his thoughts. “Something’s up with her. I just don’t know what I did.”

 

John chuckled. “Well Dave, you are sort of a jerk!”

 

“Shut up, Egbert.” Dave said, nudging him in the shoulder.

 

“Well, why don’t you just tell her?” John suggested. Dave raised an eyebrow.

 

“Tell her what?”

 

“Aw, come on Dave stop being daft! I thought you were supposed to be the cool kid.” He said.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Dave replied, and when John tried to question it further, he suggested he shoved his opinions up his ass. John backed down then, giggling furiously. A phone started to ring. Dave tapped his pocket; no vibrations from his cell. Dave shook his head, so John pulled his out, and flipped it open.

 

“Oh, it’s Rose!” He said. “Just a minute!”

 

Dave took a seat on a bench as John took the call. He rubbed his hands together, pulling his coat closer around his body. It was winter in the city, and Dave wasn’t used to the snow. His body had adapted to the heat of LOHAC. The white reminded him of past experiences that he was desperate to forget. John approached him with a worried look on his face.

 

“Who died?” Dave questioned. John bit his lip.

 

“Jade’s not talking to Rose.” He said.

 

“So? She doesn’t talk to me.” He said this with a certain tone of disappointment that surprised him as it left his mouth.

 

“Yeah, but she’s not letting her get in contact at all. She’s offline, she won’t answer her mobile, and the phone in her apartment is going straight to message…” He frowned. “Rose says you should go see if she’s okay.”

 

Dave huffed and leaned back on the bench. “Fuck that. No way. Jade’s a big girl, she can handle herself. Why can’t Rose do it?”

 

“Pshh, she has a meeting. She’s the only one of us that works, remember?” John sighed. “Jees Dave, you’re being kind of harsh. You’re the one who’s worried about her not talking to you. Why won’t you go visit her?”

 

Dave removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, sighing.

 

 _Because,_ a voice in his head said,  _you don’t think you can handle it if she looks at you that way again. You’re just as scared of seeing her as she is of seeing you. If she gives up on you… it might near break your heart._

 

He tried to ignore it. Fuck that. No way. He was still cool. Cool kids don’t get broken heats.

But as he slipped his shades back on his face, his hands were shaking.

 

 _Still… cool._


	2. Chapter 2

He was home alone, sitting on the couch and watching TV when he got Rose’s text.

 

 _You didn’t visit her, did you?_  

 

 Dave sighed, and replied.

 

 _nah. im sure she’s fine._

 

The next one came almost immediately. He stared at the words for a few moments before processing what it said.

 

 _She isn’t._

 

He called Rose.

 

“David.” She said.

 

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked. “What do you mean she isn’t okay? Did you speak to her?”

 

“Obviously.” Rose told him. “But I think it’s best you two sort this out yourselves.”

 

“Tell me what she said.”

 

“Ask her yourself.”

 

“Fuck Rose, stop being an asshole.” Dave said. “Stop being so fucking cryptic. You want me to admit it, don’t you? Fine. I’m worried about her. There, happy? But she’s the one who’s ignoring me, so I’m not visiting her. Just tell me what’s. Going. On.”

 

There was a pause on the other line.

 

“I don’t want you to admit that you’re worried. That was obvious.” Her voice was calm and collected, just as usual. “I just believe maybe it’s time you admitted to yourself that you are in fact in love with her. I am not going to tell you what is going on, not because I am an ‘asshole’. It’s because it is for the two of you to sort out. In case you haven’t realised, she’s scared. Now I’m going to let you brood over this until you stop acting like a, what is it you say? Oh, that’s right. An insufferable prick.”

 

Rose hung up, and Dave tossed the phone across the room. He stood up and rubbed his face, pacing.

 

 _Fuck this._

 

He grabbed his keys.

 

 _Fuck._

 

He left his apartment.

 

 _This._

 

He got in his car, and stopped. Dave leaned his head against the wheel, and suddenly, he was surrounded by darkness. He glanced out the window. The city, building by building, was going dark, its lights fading. Blackout.

 

His mind leapt to Jade, and an image of a 17 year old girl, still afraid of the dark, weeping in her apartment, alone.

 

He started the car.

 

==>

 

The door was open when Dave arrived. He opened it silently, and entered her apartment. It wasn’t what he’d expected; it was completely normal. No abnormally coloured blinds, no vicious plants lining the walls. It was simply an apartment. It had a kitchen and a lounge connected to it. The northern wall was a large window, looking out over the city. Dave felt as if he was in a black and white movie because of the blackout. Everything was dark, and grey. Uncoloured. In the silence, he heard a gentle whimper.

 

Jade sat on the couch, in a singlet and jeans, her head in her hands. She was crying. But the moonlight bathing her home told Dave it wasn’t because of the dark.

 

 _Big girl now._

 

Dave tried to speak, but he couldn’t seem to say anything. He managed a slight cough after a minute or two. Jade gasped and looked up, noticing Dave’s presence.

 

“D-Dave what are you doing here!?” She said, standing and turning away from him.

 

“Oh, well Rose said… something was up and I guess I thought I’d come check on you.” Dave told her.

 

“Oh! That’s nice of you, but I’m fine, really.” She said. “I’m pretty busy Dave, so if you don’t mind…”

 

Jade began to walk away, exiting through a nearby doorway.

 

“Wait, what. No, wait up.” He followed her into her bedroom, where she stood next to her bed, frantically folding clothing and placing it in a- a suitcase?

 

“What the fuck is this.” Dave said. He walked closer to her. “What the _fuck is this_?”

 

Jade still didn’t say anything. Anger cracked through Dave’s cool shell. He shoved the suitcase off the bed, and stood in front of Jade.

 

“You think you’re leaving?” Dave spoke louder than usual. “What the hell is going on with you, Jade?” 

 

Jade jumped back at Dave’s actions.

 

“Dave stop it!” She pushed past him, and picked up her clothing. “You’re being ridiculous. You think you can just turn up here in the middle of the night and make everything all better?! I’m not a child Dave! Let it go!”

 

“Well it doesn’t seem like I can do anything at the moment.” Dave replied, following her out of her bedroom again, into the moonlit lounge with the glass wall. “You won’t talk to me. You won’t even look at me. What the hell is going on? What happened to us, Jade? Can’t you at least tell me that?!”

“Sburb happened, Dave! What the fuck do you think?!” She yelled.

 

“That happened to everyone in case you haven’t noticed. We all played Sburb. We all went through hell in that game.  But not all of us started acting like I’d gone and fucked everything up. Please, Jade. You’re killing me.”

 

No response.

 

“Fucking hell Jade, fucking HELL!” Dave yelled, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t do this!”

 

“I CAN’T LOOK AT YOU DAVE!” Jade yelled, turning suddenly. Jade’s eyes welled up again and her face screwed up in a mix of anger and sadness. They looked at each other for a moment, in silence, and then she looked away from him, collapsing onto her knees in tears in front of the northern window.

 

“I- it’s not your fault Dave.” She spoke between sobs. “I know that we were all affected by the game, but… I watched you die  _three times_.”

 

Dave couldn’t move, or speak.

 

“First, it was only your alternative self, but…” She swallowed. “There was so much blood. And then when I… I  _killed you…_ ”

 

“It wasn’t… your fault-“

 

“But can you imagine what it felt like for me?” She faced him for a moment, her cheeks stained with tears. “My bullets through your skin… I held you, and… so much blood.”

 

That was two. He couldn’t recall the third.

 

“And then… you wouldn’t remember but… your Sprite, Dave.”

 

Dave sighed. Of course. The one who got left behind.

 

“I had become God Tier… I thought I knew everything. The power I had, Dave.” She gave a hollow laugh. “It seems pointless now, doesn’t it? I was so stupid. I… I left him behind.”

 

Jade grabbed at her chest, like she was hurting.

 

“I can’t even tell you how much it hurt… knowing that it was me.” She looked down. “I look at my hands, and all I can see is  _blood…_ my dreams… I wake up terrified. And when I look at you… I feel as if the blood is gonna start to leak from your chest again…”

 

She cupped her hand over her mouth to stop her crying. Dave was at a loss. Hearing it like this, from her perspective.

 

“Jade…” He wanted to say so much to her. She couldn’t leave. He needed her more than she knew.

“I’m leaving Dave.” Jade said, more clearly now. “I’m so sorry, but… I can’t manage to look at you, and I… I  _love_ you. Do you know… how hard that is? I need to move on. I need to…”

 

Dave walked over to her kneeling figure, and placed a hand on her shoulder gently. She shrugged it away.

 

“Please go.” She said. “Please.”

 

 _I need you. Don’t leave me. I’m in love you, Jade. I’m so sorry._

 

“Alright.”

 

As he opened the door to leave, he saw a framed photograph of the four of them, lying in shards in the trash.


	3. Chapter 3

He walked over to her, and spoke as calmly as he could.

 

“Why… didn’t you tell me about this?” Rose gave him only a glance before continuing to read, and replied.

 

“She asked me not to tell you. I stayed true to my word.” She said.

 

“Did you both know?” He asked. “You and John?”

 

Rose nodded slowly. “Yes. We’ve known for quite a while now.” 

 

Dave paced slowly across the room.

 

“She leaves today, you know. She’d be at the airport now I suppose. Ready to move on, start over in Boston. We probably will never see her again after this.” When Dave didn’t say anything, Rose slowly closed her book and placed it on the sofa next to her. She then folded her hands in her lap, and looked at Dave.

 

“Are you going to let her?” She asked.

 

“What do you want me to do?” He replied. “I’m not doing some rom-com scene from one of John’s stupid movies.”

 

Dave thought he heard a quiet curse from nearby, but Rose continued, so he ignored it.

 

“Yes, that would be too cliché. Ironic, almost.”

 

Dave turned his head to Rose, and frowned. He could see where this was going, but he knew it would end up like this.  

 

“Fuck, I’ve got to stop her don’t I?”

 

“Congratulations. What you said just now was in no way idiotic or insensitive. I suppose there is a first time for everything.” Rose smirked. “John?”

 

John stepped out from behind the kitchen counter.

 

“Hehe, hey Dave!” He waved at him. Dave frowned at Rose.

 

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

 

“I have no idea what you mean. I just thought John here might be useful in the case that you needed a lift.”

 

“I have a car you know.”

 

“Technically I’m here so that you don’t chicken out when you get there!” John told Dave.

“Whatever.” Dave replied, grabbing his keys. “We’re taking my car. Let’s go.”

 

==>

 

In that car trip, Dave Strider made the worst decision of his life. The trip could have been a motivating, gentle ride into the airport as he reminded himself how to be cool. Be cool. Get the girl.

 

It was, however, spent dreading his life as he held firmly onto the door frame, trying to keep his glasses in place as the car lurched in all directions.

 

Despite what he expected, John was a terrible driver.

 

It was he who’d convinced Dave to let him drive.

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Egbert?” Dave had asked as he’d opened the driver’s seat door.

 

“I have to drive, Dave!” John said. “Trust me, I’ve seen enough movies to know how this works. The wingman has to drive so that the subject can make an astonishing tuck and roll exit from the car and arrive just in time-“

 

“John, you’re not driving.”

 

“… I’ll pay for parking.” John said, and Dave paused for a moment.

 

“Fine.” He chucked him the keys. “But if you get a scratch on her, I swear…”

 

These events led to Dave almost having a heart attack. John was really getting into the corniness of the situation. More so than Dave was, that was certain.

 

“John, do you think you could just slow down a li-“

 

“No time Dave! What if you arrive a second too late, huh?!”

 

==>

 

When they did arrive at the airport, there was no tuck and roll action whatsoever, but Dave did make his movements slightly faster than usual, and John rode off to find a park. 

 

 _10 minutes._

 

He briskly walked into the heated terminal, his hands stuck in his pockets.

 

 _5 minutes._

 

He was jogging now, his feet only slightly leaving the ground with each step.

 

 _2 minutes._

 

He was flat out running, very uncommon for a Strider unless of course he was in an intense battle. This was  _so_ uncool. Strider’s didn’t run. Unless they were in sexy running gear and preparing to beat the crap out of their fellow runners in a professional race. Not that that had ever happened. Dave had certainly  _not_ been involved in athletics as a child. That would just be silly.

 

He saw her at the end gate. She was handing the ticket to the inspector, about to board the plane.

 _Fuck. NO._

 

He was breathing heavily when he spoke to her from a few metres back.

 

“Harley.” He said.

 

Jade turned, and gaped when she saw him. She apologised to the ticket inspector.

 

“Dave what are you doing here, I have to go-“

 

“Jade, you can’t go.” He said, taking a step closer.

 

“Dave, we discussed this. Please, don’t make a scene.” She told him. “You can’t tell me what t-“

“I wasn’t ordering you to stay.” Dave said. “I… I’m requesting you to stay. I’m  _begging_ you Harley. You just made a Strider beg. That is an achievement.”

 

She took a step back, as he took one forward.

 

“Dave I can’t…”

 

“If making a scene is what it takes, that’s what I’ll do.”

 

And then Dave Strider got on his knees. In the middle of the airport. Surrounded by people. But it wasn’t them that embarrassed him. It was Jade, staring at him with her big, green eyes.

 

“Jade I’m sorry that you were scared.” He said. “I’m sorry I went and died on you. I’m sorry I was an ass hole and deserted you without even warning you. I’m sorry that you can’t look at me… But Harley, please. This is killing me.”

 

He stood, and she hesitated, but didn’t move when he stepped towards her slowly.

 

“I know you still see the blood, but…”

 

He lifted his shirt up slightly, and took Jade’s hand. Jade gasped as he placed her palm against his stomach.

 

“See? Nothing there. No bullet holes. Only skin. It’s just me, I promise.”

 

Jade looked from her hand, and back to Dave again. Their eyes met, and this time, Dave was so happy to see no fear, only relief. For the first time in a long time, Jade smiled at him.

 

It was her beautiful smile. The infectious one that made him grin. The girl fell into Dave, wrapping her hands around his neck and burying her head into his neck.

 

Dave held her close to him. She was warm. She may have been from the Land of Frost and Frogs, but she was so welcoming that it reminded him of the Land of Heat and Clockwork.

 

It was with her arms wrapped around him that he felt at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished!! I hope you enjoyed it if you read to the end!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love feedback or criticism!  
> And thanks for reading!


End file.
